Today's Devotion
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NKJV) Do you live life joyfully? Is that even possible in our fast-paced, stressed-out, far-from-perfect world? Will joy survive when life gets tough? While many would answer yes, others might shake their heads no. They feel life has too many ups and downs for us to be joyful all the time. God desires for His children to live with joy, a joy that flows from our relationship with Him. This joy is one of the nine attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. His joy becomes part of…
Living here in Canada, we have a famous coffee shop that many Canadians visit daily: Tim Hortons. Because of its popularity, it’s not unusual to see this chain referenced online. One meme in particular caught my eye. It said, “In Canada, we don’t say ‘I love you.’ We say, ‘Goin’ to Tim’s, want anything?’ and it means the same thing.” It gave me a chuckle, but also resonated with me. How I say “I love you” isn’t always by vocalizing those three little words. Early in our marriage, my husband and I set some boundaries based on the principle of…
For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. (Psalm 18:39, ESV) What do we do when the enemy comes at us full force? What kind of battle plan do we make when things look bleak and we are outnumbered? In II Chronicles 20, the enemies of Judah aligned themselves against King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. The Israelites were greatly outnumbered, and the outlook was grim. What Jehoshaphat did next cannot be found in any military manual. What he did required bold faith. He did not call for…
Many of you may remember that I love to watch nature documentaries. A few weeks ago I watched a video on the Serengeti, which is located in the African country of Tanzania. The Serengeti maintains herds of over a million wildebeests among a multitude of other animals. Even the greatest predators find it a struggle to stay alive during the dry season, which can last for up to half a year. They follow any source of water to find nourishment from the grasslands. The dry, seemingly barren land looks destitute until the season begins to shift. It is called the…
“And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock… and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.” 2 Samuel 21:10 There is grief that is so deep that it refuses to be hidden. Rizpah’s grief refused to remain silent. In 2 Samuel 21, a famine plagued Israel for three years. When King David sought the Lord, he discovered the cause: Saul had broken covenant with the Gibeonites, and the land was reaping the consequence of his unfaithfulness. Though Saul…
